What's Left of Me
by Animelover5.6
Summary: SakuLee songfic. Dedication: Birthday present for SapphireWhiteTigress. Lee has no will left to continue his life, until some kind words change everything.


**What's Left of Me**

**By Animelover5.6**

_Hi, Sorry I haven't been on lately, internet problems. This is a sonfic one-shot 'What's Left of Me' by Nick Lachey. Don't ask me how to spell his name, I don't know. If you haven't already guessed, this is a SakuLee one-shot. Dedicated to SapphireWhiteTigress as a belated birthday present. This is also a test to see if my internet will let me update now! Please Enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own anything_

_Happy Birthday SapphireWhiteTigress! _

* * *

Hospitals never really attracted Rock Lee much. And he certainly never hoped to end up in one, but after he had awoken from his fight with Gaara of the Sand, a feeling of searing ache coursing throughout his left arm and leg, a trip to the hospital was inevitable. 

The whole thing had gone by in a hazed blur. He remembered using the Hidden Lotus against Gaara, trying to escape his sand…

Then pain…

And Sakura…

No, wait, that wasn't necessarily a memory of the previous events. Sometimes she, her image that is, would pop up in his mind once in a when he least expected it. He would have to get control of that someday…though part of him didn't want to…

Lee had awoken to Gai-sensei and was given to horrid news that his ninja career was over. Gaara had destroyed the bones in his arm and leg. And there was no hope of restoring them to normal.

Lee was devastated.

If he was hurt, how could he prove his nindo?

How could he prove that relying on Taijutsu alone could make you a splendid ninja?

How could he beat his rival Neji Hyuga?

How could he keep his promise to protect Sakura…?

There was no escaping it. He had failed his sensei. He had failed Naruto. He had failed his own nindo.

He had failed Sakura…

Lying in that hospital bed, Lee could feel hot tears streaming down his face. The last person he ever wanted to fail was the girl he loved.

Now, his chances with her were depleted even more, and they were already microscopic.

Rock Lee's life was now worthless…

_Watch my life,  
Pass me by,  
In the rear view mirror  
Pictures frozen in time  
Are becoming clearer  
I don't wanna waste another day  
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes _

Yeah...

Lee could recall the moment he had laid eyes on the pink-haired angel. It was at the very beginning of the Chunin Exam. Lee had been totally prepared for any opponents or enemies that might step in his way. He had been prepared for Sasuke Uchiha. He had been prepared for the preliminaries. He, at least, he **_thought_** he had been prepared for Gaara.

He had**_ not _**been prepared on falling in love.

Lee suddenly felt foolish and embarrassed for coming unto her so forwardly. He should have expected the answer of 'You're Lame.' There is where he probably made his first mistake. But how could he contain himself. A beautiful flower like that was one in a million. Lee would kill to be in Sasuke's place…

Sasuke…

_Cause I want you,  
And I feel you,  
Crawling underneath my skin  
Like a hunger,  
Like a burning,  
To find a place I've never been  
Now I'm broken,  
And I'm faded,  
I'm half the man I thought I would be:  
But you can have what's left of me_

Rock Lee had always secretly both envied and pitied the Uchiha. He envied him because of his place in Sakura's heart, which was a place that Lee would gladly take from him. Other than that, he never thought twice of Sasuke. Lee could beat him, they **_both _**knew that. But Sakura didn't.

He had seen the infatuated look on her face when he was entangled in the dual with Sasuke. All she had seen was the swirling red spell of the Sharingan in his eyes.

She had not seen how Lee had easily defeated it and would have beaten Sasuke all the way through, had his sensei not shown up.

How could Lee get Sakura to look at**_ him_** like that? Was it truly that hard? How had Sasuke done it?

Though that question practically answered itself.

Sasuke attracted females because of his looks, skills, and pedigree. Lee didn't look exactly like Sasuke, but he had more Taijutsu skill in his **_index finger_** than the Uchiha had **_in his whole body_**. His pedigree was from normal people, though his parents had died when he was younger. In that way, he and Sasuke were alike. Sasuke had also lost his entire clan when he was a younger child. They both could recall them so vividly, he was sure. Lee could reminisce when he was younger, his mother would sing him to sleep when he was afraid of sad. A sweet sounding lullaby…called **_Hushabye Mountain ()_**. He would still sing it to himself sometimes. Albeit it would summon up all the tears barred away in his eyes.

But that was straying away from the true subject. Sasuke had had parents, too. Though Lee would probably never know what they were like. That was one of the ways he sympathized with Sasuke.

Lee also pitied Sasuke for his blindness when it came to his own nindo. The drive to kill his brother and avenge his clan, he could understand, but he could sense that he was going about it all the wrong way. Lee pitied Sasuke for his blindness towards Naruto. Naruto was strong, but Sasuke only saw his flaws. Lee could see Naruto's true strength; that if Naruto and Sasuke ever did fight each other, Naruto would win. And Lee would be pulling for him.

But most of all, Lee pitied Sasuke's sightlessness when it came to Sakura.

Sakura loved Sasuke, Lee knew it…

And it killed him inside.

_I've been dying inside,  
Little by little,  
No where to go,  
But going out of my mind  
In endless circles,  
Running from my self until,  
You gave me a reason for standing still_

Didn't Sasuke know that Lee would love to have that place? To be in that place for just one day, though that would cause him to wish for one more day, and then another, then **_another_**. A never-ending cycle. Constantly being reminded that Sakura loved Sasuke was like a kunai to the chest. It stung and drew inner blood. There was **_pain_**, like having an evil sand demon crush your arm and leg till the bones were completely shattered and you could no longer participate in the one thing that gives your life meaning.

And there was pain, like unrequited love.

Why did Sasuke get to hold the key to Sakura's heart?

And he didn't even **_want_** it!

It made him frustrated and confused to even think about it. Lee loved Sakura, who loved Sasuke, who loved no one. A love triangle that wasn't even a triangle. Or, at least, this triangle wasn't connected.

Lee knew why he loved Sakura.

Lee knew why Sakura loved **_Sasuke._**

Lee knew why Sakura didn't love**_ him_**.

And it was something that he could never fix.

It was because Lee was nothing. Nothing to her and nothing to everyone. And he believed he was nothing because with out his ninja career, he had nothing else to live for. Nothing but Sakura…

_Cause I want you,  
And I feel you,  
Crawling underneath my skin  
Like a hunger,  
Like a burning,  
To find a place I've never been  
Now I'm broken,  
And I'm faded,  
I'm half the man I thought I would be:  
But you can have what's left of me_

There wasn't anything left of the happy sunshine of youth that was Rock Lee, Taijutsu specialist. So Lee sat there in his hospital bed, letting the pointless tears fall down as he sung himself to sleep silently, wishing for something to give him reason to keep fighting.

* * *

Sakura had no idea why she was doing this, but inside she felt like it was the right thing to do. 

…Who was she kidding? Sakura **_wanted_** to do this.

A small flower rested in her hand, as well as a small vase, ready to be purchased at a place Sakura had never though she would be in again, The Yamanaka Flower-Shop.

Ino Yamanaka, as Sakura had predicted, was standing at the front of the counter with a smug, as well as suspicious, look on her face.

"Is that for Sasuke-kun?" Ino grumbled, remembering that they were rivals for Sasuke's affections, how could she forget.

"No." Sakura answered bluntly "This is for Lee-san."

Ino's suspicious and agitated glare fell to a concerned, almost considerate expression.

"Oh, the one who had his arm and leg crushed? He's still in the hospital?"

Sakura nodded, but didn't look at Ino. "Didn't you hear? The fight ruined the bones in his arm and leg. He can't be a ninja anymore."

Ino gasped slightly.

"That's awful…I fell sorry for Lee-san. You know what Sakura? Forget the money for this flower. It's on the house. I hope that he'll recover to the best of his ability."

Sakura sighed heavily, now deeply saddened. "Me too, Ino-chan, me too."

Sakura swiftly exited the shop and started towards the hospital. When Sakura had discovered that Lee was no longer able to be a shinobi, she was distraught. It was not fair to Lee or to anyone. He out of every one of the Konoha genin deserved to be the best he could be. Lee deserved victory.

Lee deserved praise.

Most of all, Lee deserved a chance…

_It's falling faster,  
Barely breathing,  
Give me something,  
To believe in  
Tell me: It's not all in my head_

Sakura entered the hospital and went to the front desk. A woman she had seen before sat there smiling a creepy, over perky smile at her.

"Uchiha, Sasuke. Room One-o-Four, Miss Haruno."

Sakura shook her head with a genuine smile of her own plastered on her face.

"No, thank you. Actually, I want to know what room Rock Lee is in, please."

"Oh!" exclaimed the over-perky nurse and pulled out a manila folder from a cabinet beneath her desk.

"Rock Lee, room Twelve. Right down that hall there."

"Thank you, ma'am." Sakura bowed slightly and continued on.

"Poor boy." said the woman "There no chance he'll ever recover from this"

'_No…'_ Sakura though _'You're wrong. All wrong.'_

Eventually, Sakura came upon Lee's room; the door was slightly ajar. Sakura let herself inside and looked at what she could hardly believe was Rock Lee.

It was like there was nothing left of him in that bed. His face somewhat damp, from crying, Sakura had deduced.

He was literally wasting away in this hospital.

_Take what's left  
Of this man  
Make me whole  
Once again**  
**_

Sakura filled the vase with water, stuck the flower in it and placed it on the table, staring at it with hope that it would be enough to raise his spirits enough to make him the glorious boy of youth and love that he once was. That everyone couldn't help but love.

That she couldn't help but…

"I'll leave the flower here, Lee-san. Get well soon." Sakura whispered, trying not to wake him.

She stood there for who-knows-how long, just gawking at him sleep. Sakura moved closer to his face, delicately stroking his hair behind his ears and softly singing.

In time, Lee let his eyes creep open, seeing Sakura for the first time in a long while, standing over him. Caressing his hair. Singing sweet music his mother once sung to him.

"S-S-Sakura…" Lee murmured weakly.

_Cause I want you,  
And I feel you,  
Crawling underneath my skin  
Like a hunger,  
Like a burning,  
To find a place I've never been  
Now I'm broken,  
And I'm faded,  
I'm half the man I thought I would be:  
But you can have what's left of me_

"Shh…" Sakura hushed him "You need to rest. You'll never get better that way."

Lee was amazed at how kindly Sakura was treating him, so much that it brought tears to his burning eyes.

"S-Sakura-san…why…the doctors—"

"**_I_** don't care what the doctors or **_anyone _**says, Lee-san" Sakura interrupted him "I **_know_** you will get better Lee-san."

Lee opened his eyes wider from total and complete shock.

"But, why…why are…you being so…"

"Be…Because…I care about you, Lee-san. I believe it you. I believe in your nindo. You give me strength, and if you can't be there to do that, I won't be able to be strong and fight anymore."

Lee was literally crying now. More than he had ever in his total lifetime. Now Sakura had given him a reason to continue. He had to give her strength so Sakura could be brave a fight. Now his life had meaning, even if she never ever loved him. Even if he could never be a ninja again. Maybe if he could never come out of this hospital again.

"Thank-Thank you, Sakura-san." Lee mumbled, trying not to sob.

Sakura smiled and caressed his cheek, which was soft and gentle, Sakura found surprising. And Lee found her hands warm and soothing.

"Don't give up, Lee-san."

Lee chuckled somewhat.

"…I do not…think I know how to, Sakura-san."

_I've been dying inside you see  
I'm going out of my mind  
Out of my mind  
I'm just running in circles all the time  
Will you take what's left  
Will you take what's left  
Will you take what's left of me?  
Just running in circles in my mind  
Will you take what's left  
Will you take what's left  
_

_Will you take what's left of me_?

* * *

_**Yeah, this was kinda sad. And I promise to update the Prince and the Castle Maid and Our Crazy Summer Vacation soon as I can. I'm just happy to finally be back online. Thought I'd die from lack of internet…So R&R! **_

_**() This song is actually a lullaby that my mom sung me. It from that movie 'War of the Worlds' too! Though I kinda didn't like that movie… **_

_**Happy Birthday SapphireWhiteTigress**_

_...**5.6**..._


End file.
